DocFetcher vs Recoll
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
DocFetcher
Cross-platform desktop search for document contents
VS
Recoll
Full-text desktop and server search for your documents
| Feature | DocFetcher | Recoll |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | EPL-1.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Java | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 63 | ★ 300 |
| First released | 2007 | 2005 |
| Replaces | Google Desktop | Google Desktop |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is DocFetcher or Recoll better?
Neither is universally better. Recoll has the larger community, while DocFetcher is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are DocFetcher and Recoll free and open-source?
Yes. DocFetcher is licensed under EPL-1.0 and Recoll under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DocFetcher and Recoll with Docker?
DocFetcher: check the project docs for container support. Recoll: check the project docs for container support.